Analysing light pipe two-side aperture in dense population housing to improve the visual and thermal condition

Abstract

Daylight is one of the essential criteria for decent housing. However, in an urban kampung, access to daylight is limited due to the high-density population in urban Kampung Kota. This study aims to improve the visual and thermal conditions by modifying the aperture of the light pipe based on visual daylight distribution, illuminance level, and thermal conditions in multi-storey houses in hot-humid climates. Light pipe was developed experimentally through the simulation model to investigate the performance and impact on the visual and thermal conditions like operational temperature and RH in densely populated Kampung Kota without vertical apertures. According to the results, the two-aperture light pipe residential space enhanced the current situation but did not fulfill the standards. The two aperture light pipe visually improved daylight distribution by 1.05% –31.36% and illumination level by 8.4% - 14.8%. We also found that light pipe also impacts thermal conditions with a 10.92% RH reduction while at the same time increasing temperature up to 10.57%. Therefore, it can be concluded that a two-aperture light pipe has the potential to be applied to actual conditions in hot-humid climates.

Keywords

• Daylight
• Light pipe two aperture
• Densely populated urban kampung
• Housing
• Hot-humid climates